GRITTERS are out in force across the county as motorists head home during the rush hour.

A Norfolk County Council spokesman said they were currently out gritting as snow showers are expected tonight. The gritters will also be out again at 8pm, and 2am and 4am tomorrow morning.

He said the council would also be monitoring the weather throughout the weekend.

Norwich City Council are also sending out their gritters at 6pm tonight and said they too would be keeping watch on the weather over the weekend and acting accordingly.

Parts of Dereham were brought to a standstill this afternoon as heavy snow returned and drivers took half an hour to travel less than a mile around school picking up time in Toftwood and Dereham town centre.

There were also very bad delays near the Tesco store in Yaxham Road, and vehicles were travelling at about 10mph on the A47.

A spokesman for Norfolk police said they had not seen a particular increase in the number of accidents, and that it had been “business as usual” during the day.

From midday through to 4pm, they had recorded 28 damage-only road traffic accidents, and eight accidents in which people were injured, although the spokesman stressed, not all the incidents could be attributed to the weather conditions.

The Met Office has issued heavy snow warnings for the east coast across the weekend and into the beginning of next week.

Earlier this morning, Yarmouth was hit with heavy snow showers, which left untreated roads treacherous and caused long tailbacks on major trunk roads, including the A12 between Gorleston and Great Yarmouth.

However, there were also some picturesque scenes to behold as Yarmouth’s St George’s Park radiated under its festive white blanket which had also covered wreaths laid on the park’s war memorial from Remembrance Day commemorations.

Joe Osborne, from Norwich-based Weatherquest, said: “There’s going to be widespread sharp frost which will lead to icy roads for the commute tomorrow morning.

“With a layer of frost on the ground and further snow showers, we could also wake up to a couple of centimetres of snow in the morning.

“As the ground is quite warm at this time of year, we’re not expecting significant accumulations.”

The RAC is also advising motorists heading home tonight are advised to check local weather reports and traffic conditions.

The motoring organisation’s fleet of 4 x 4 vehicles are on stand-by in the worst affected areas and extra patrols are on the ground to help